Two Charged In Gas Station Robbery

NEWINGTON — Two men charged early Wednesday with robbing an East Granby gas station are suspects in recent holdups in Glastonbury, Westbrook, Cromwell and Rocky Hill, police said.

William Wambolt, 22, and Anthony Owens, 29, both of Wallingford, were stopped in Newington after a police chase that started on I-91 South and ended on the Berlin Turnpike, state police said.

State police on routine patrol on I-91 spotted a green car early Wednesday that matched the description of one used by a gunman who robbed the Airport Gulf gas station in East Granby a few minutes earlier.

In the holdup, a man wearing a ski mask entered the store, displayed a gun and stole cash and cigarettes. The robber drove away in a green sedan.

Police chased the car south on I-91 about 4 miles before stopping the car and arresting Wambolt and Owens.

``It was a crime in progress, and it just so happens that troopers spotted the vehicle on the highway,'' state Trooper William Tate said.

Both men were charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery and sixth-degree larceny. Wambolt also was charged with engaging police in a pursuit and reckless driving. Wambolt has larceny cases pending in Meriden, Middletown and Manchester, officials said.

The men appeared Wednesday afternoon in Superior Court in Enfield, where Judge Howard Scheinblum set bail at $350,000 for Owens and $500,000 for Wambolt. Both are due back in court Aug. 17.

Wambolt and Owens could face up to 20 years in prison for the robbery charge alone, court officials said.

Police said they believe Wambolt and Owens' crime spree lasted a week, and included a holdup at gunpoint at the Global gas station on Main Street in Glastonbury Saturday morning and a similar incident at a 7-Eleven in Cromwell about 30 minutes later.

Police said the two also are responsible for two other armed robberies last week in Rocky Hill and a robbery last month at a Westbrook gas station.

No weapon was recovered from the vehicle. Police said they were reviewing evidence from cameras in the cruisers involved in the chase and using police dogs to search for any weapon that might have been thrown from the car during the pursuit.